common_nature | Some blue jays and other things (x-posted)

I took a walk today, before the snow really hit.

(We had a snowstorm. It accumulated more than I expected but less than would be *really* annoying, which is better than Sunday, in which it was the opposite.)

I met a whole bunch of blue jays. Here's one.

When I started, there was at least *some* light. As on this rock.

And this stream.

And this dam/waterfall.

These were all at the Historic Site near the Turner Reservoir. Um. *rummages* That is, the Hunt's Mills Museum, a former mill with still-present dam, in northern Rhode Island.

I then headed over to the Reservoir, and eventually found a metaphorical thicket of blue jays. And a weird noise that sounds *exactly* like a submarine sonar, which has been driving me crazy for awhile when I hang around blue jays. It seemed pretty obvious it was coming from them, but I couldn't figure out why. Or what it indicated. I thought maybe it might be flirting, but aside from juvenile hawks practicing, it seemed a bit early for that.

I interrupt this confused muttering for a picture. Have a flying blue jay and compatriots. From left to right, flying guy, normal squawking blue jay, sonaring blue jay. (It has, one might note, clouded up.)

To actually illustrate the sound, I would link a YouTube video, but none of the videos sound right, alas. According to a representative sample of things I've read, including on here, what they're doing is an alarm call; they're in theory imitating something else, but the something else they're in theory sounding like (red-shouldered hawks) sound somewhat different in actual life. But however, the point is, the sonaring is (sometimes) an alarm, to indicate a hawk may be nearby. But sometimes it isn't, because they're unpredictable like that. I expect a lot of the sonaring when I'm around is because I'm around and they're not entirely used to me.

Anyway. The *point* is, everyone in this next picture is pointing in a different direction, Looking And Listening Carefully In Alarm.